The cõforte of louers

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Title: The coforte of louers
The Comfort of Lovers
Author: Stephen Hawes
Release Date: August 15, 2007 [EBook #22326]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
? START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COFORTE OF LOUERS ***
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[Illustration:?The c[om]forte of louers]
The comforte of louers made and compyled by Steuen Hawes?somtyme grome of the honourable chambre of our late souerayne lorde kynge Henry [the] seuenth (whose soule god pardon).?In the seconde yere of the reygne of our most naturall?souerayne lorde k[yn]ge Henry the eyght.
[Illustration:
& for your sake?I shall it take
holde this?a token y wys]
[P] The prohemye.
The gentyll poetes / vnder cloudy fygures?Do touche a trouth / and cloke it subtylly?Harde is to c[on]strue poetycall scryptures?They are so fayned / & made s[en]t[en]cyously?For som do wryte of loue by fables pryuely?Some do endyte / vpon good moralyte?Of chyualrous actes / done in antyquyte
Whose fables and storyes ben pastymes pleasaunt?To lordes and ladyes / as is theyr lykynge?Dyuers to moralyte / ben oft attendaunt?And many delyte to rede of louynge?Youth loueth aduenture / pleasure and lykynge?Aege foloweth polycy / sadnesse and prudence?Thus they do dyffre / eche in experyence
I lytell or nought / experte in this scyence?Compyle suche bokes / to deuoyde ydlenes?Besechynge the reders / with all my delygence?Where as I offende / for to correct doubtles?Submyttynge me to theyr grete gentylnes?As none hystoryagraffe / nor poete laureate?But gladly wolde folowe / the makynge of Lydgate
Fyrst noble Gower / moralytees dyde endyte?And after hym Cauncers / grete bokes delectable?Lyke a good phylozophre / meruaylously dyde wryte?After them Lydgate / the monke commendable?Made many wonderfull bokes moche profytable?But syth the are deed / & theyr bodyes layde in chest?I pray to god to gyue theyr soules good rest
[P] Finis prohemii.
Whan fayre was phebus / [with] his bemes bryght?Amyddes of gemyny / aloft the fyrmament?Without blacke cloudes / castynge his pured lyght?With sorowe opprest / and grete incombrement?Remembrynge well / my lady excellent?Saynge o fortune helpe me to preuayle?For thou knowest all my paynfull trauayle
I went than musynge / in a medowe grene?Myselfe alone / amonge the floures in dede?With god aboue / the futertens is sene?To god I sayd / thou mayst my mater spede?And me rewarde / accordynge to my mede?Thou knowest the trouthe / I am to the true?Whan that thou lyst / thou mayst them all subdue
Who dyde preserue the yonge edyppus?Whiche sholde haue be slayne by calculacyon?To deuoyde grete thynges / the story sheweth vs?That were to come / by true reuelacyon?Takynge after theyr hole operacyon?In this edyppus / accordynge to affecte?Theyr cursed calkynge / holly to abiecte
Who dyde preserue / Ionas and moyses?Who dyde preserue yet many other mo?As the byble maketh mencyon doubles?Who dyde kepe Charles frome his euyll fo?Who was he / that euer coude do so?But god alone / than in lyke wyse maye he?Kepe me full sure / frome all inyquyte
Thus as I called to my remembraunce?Suche trewe examples / I tenderly dyde wepe?Remembrynge well / goddes hyghe ordyna[un]ce?Syghynge full oft / with inwarde teres depe?Tyll at the last / I fell in to a slepe?And in this slepe / me thought I dyde repayre?My selfe alone / in to a garden fayre
This goodly gardyn / I dyde well beholde?Where I sawe a place / ryght gaye and gloryous?With golden turrettes / paynted many afolde?Lyke a place of pleasure moste solacyous?The wyndowes glased / with crystall precyous?The golden fanes / with wynde and melody?By dulcet sounde / and meruaylous armony
The knottes flagraunt / with aromatyke